Holder for sheet material and the like



2 R w {M M Wm WM E ATTORNEY J- B. SWETT HOLDER FOR SHEET MATERIAL AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 18, 1962 Dec. 22-, 1964 FIG. 2 FIG. 3

FIG. 7

United States Patent 3,161,929 HGLDER FGR SEEET MATERIAL AND THE LIKE James B. Swett, Remington, R.I., assignor to Rexall Drug and Chemical Qonipany, Los Angeles, Caiifi, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 157,041 1 Claim. (Q1. 24-73) The present invention is directed to a holder which is quickly, easily and releasibly attached to sheet material such as natural and synthetic fabric, plastic sheet or film or the like. The sheet and film material can be flexible or semi-rigid but my preferred embodiment involves the use of cotton, wool or synthetic fabrics of the well known woven type.

My holder is attachable to woven fabrics without damaging the fabrics even though the fabrics are unperforated for receiving the holder. in some applications it is necessary to perforate the material to which the holder is attached. Perforation normally is required only when the material being attached to the holder is sufficiently rigid to prevent proper attachment in the manner described hereinafter.

My holder is basically a flexible plastic strap having an integral button at one end and an opening at the opposite end. The strap is folded over a supporting member such as a conventional towel rack, a portion of a towel or cloth is positioned over the button, the covered button is inserted through the opening in the strap, and the covered button is locked in the opening thereby releasibly aifixing the towel or cloth to the holder which in turn is connected to the towel rack.

My holder is also useful for persons engaged in sports such as golf. The strap is folded over the handle on the golf bag or the golfers belt and a towel attached to the holder in the manner described above.

My holder is also useful in industrial applications for holding sheet material on a conveyor or the like for processing the sheet.

In the drawing I have described a present preferred embodiment of my invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of my holder in one of its preferred uses;

FIGURE 2 is a view of one face of my holder in fiat position;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of my holder; in flat position;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the opposite face of the holder;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation view of my holder in bent position;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section taken on line as of FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 7 is a cross-section taken on line 77 of FIGURE 1.

Briefly the present invention relates to a holder, preferably fabricated from plastic such as regular, linear or blended polyethylene or polypropylene, but which can be fabricated from thin flexible spring steel or the like, which includes a flat elongated strip having two end portions, one of which contains a button affixed near the extremity of the end; and the other end having an elongated slot, preferably tapered toward the end, and a finger grip on each end. In use, the holder is looped, folded or bent over a support, sheet material to be supported is placed over and around the button, and the button is inserted into the slot and tightly wedged in the narrow end of the slot.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the holder, generally indicated as 10 includes a fiat elongated strip 11 having a narrow central portion necked in at 12 at each end from expanded fiat portions 13 and 14 at the ends of the strip.

A button having a shank 15 and an expanded head 16 is integral with end 1 of the holder and extends transversely of the flat plane of the strip.

A small finger grip 17 is integral with the side of the strip opposite to that on which the button is aifixed and extends normal to the plane of the strip.

The end 13 of the strip contains a slot 18 positioned near the extremity of and extending longitudinally of the strip and entirely within the flat portion 13 of the strip. The slot includes a narrow end 19 and a wide end 20 which are connected by tape-ring edges 21 to form the tapered slot 18. The end it of the slot is sufficiently large to admit the head 16 of the button while the lower end 19 of the slot is not sufliciently large to permit passage of the head 16; however most of the slot is sufiiciently large to admit the shank 15 of the button.

' The end 13 of the strip contains an arcuate cut-out portion 22 and an arcuate transversely extending finger ridge 23 integral with the same side of the strip as the finger grip 217.

In use, the strip 11 is looped over a support 24 with the button facing inward. Fabric material such as a towel 25 is placed over the head of the button 16. The button is then inserted through the slot at the large end 20 and the user places one finger below and against ridge 23 and the other finger above the finger grip 17. By pulling down on the grip l7 and simultaneously pushing up on the ridge 23, the fabric material is securely locked between the shank 15 of the button and the sides of the slot 18 as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. In locking the holder, the finger grip I7 is moved in a downward direction as indicated by arrow 26 in FIGURE 5 and the finger grip 23 is moved upward as indicated by arrow 27 in FIGURE 5.

Flexible plastic and fibrous sheet material can also be attached to the holder in the manner described above.

Rigid and semi-rigid articles, such as plastic film and sheet normally must be perforated to receive the button for afiining the holder to the articles.

While I have described the present preferred embodiment of my invention, it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claim:

I claim:

A one-piece plastic holder for fabric materials and the like for attaching the materials to a supporting structure, comprising a flat elongated, flexible, plastic strip having first and second ends, a button affixed near the extremity of said first end, the button having a shank afiixed to and extending substantially normal to said fiat strip, and a head portion on said shank spaced from the strip, said head portion having parts extending beyond the sides of the shank, a finger grip integral with said first end, and a finger pushing ledge integral with said second end,

said grip and ledge extending transversely outwardly from extremity of said second end, said slot extending longitudinally of said strip and having a narrow portion near said second end and a wide portion remote from the narrow portion, said slot tapering evenly between and including said narrow and wide portions, said head portion on the button being constructed to freely pass through said wide portion of the slot and being impassable through the narrow portion of the slot, said shank being receivable in said wide and narrow portions, said strip being looped in a U-shape' around the supporting structure when in use so that the button is encompassed by the fabric and enters the Wide portion of the slot and the button and fabric are slid to the narrow portion of the slot to re- ?atented Dec. 22, 1964 9 4 a leasibly connect said first and second ends of the holder 1,401,340 Lindsay Dec. 27, 1921 together, with the fabric snugly held by the button Within 2,745,163 Van Buren May 15, 1956 the slot, and said fabric being released from the holder 2,937,834 Orenick et a1. May 24, 1960 by sliding the button and encompassing fabric from the narrow portion to the wide portion of the slot and re- 5 EI N PATENTS moving the button transversely from the slot. 200 5 0 Austria Jan 26, 5

References Cited in the file of this patent gustria g -t g rance c UNITED STATES PATENTS 67,926 France Oct. 14, 1957 816,710 Buley Apr. 3, 1906 10 435,869 Germany Oct. 28, 1926 

